Institute for Disability studies receives grant for playground system

Dr Pepper Snapple
Group and national non-profit KaBOOM! Has awarded The Institute for Disability
Studies at The University of Southern Mississippi a $9,000 Let's Play Community
Construction Grant to use toward the purchase of an Imagination Playground in a
Cart™ play system.

The grant is
part of Let's Play, a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to
get kids and families active nationwide. In 2011, as part of Let's Play, Dr
Pepper Snapple Group made a $15 million, three-year commitment to KaBOOM!, the
national non-profit saving play by ensuring there is a great place to play
within walking distance of every child. Together through Let's Play, Dr Pepper
Snapple Group and KaBOOM! will build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of
2013, benefiting an estimated five million children across North America.

"The
Institute for Disability Studies is pleased to accept this award for all of the
children served through the Institute including typically developing children,
children with manifest disabilities and those at high-risk for a disability,"
stated Dr. Siders, Co-Director of the Institute. Dr Pepper and Snapple are
distributed in the Gulf Park area by Gulfport Coca Cola. "We hope that the
community will join us in thanking Dr Pepper Snapple and KaBoom for this
wonderful opportunity."

According to
Dr. Alicia Westbrook, who will oversee training on the use of the Imagination
Playground, Playground in a Cart will provide materials to stimulate cognition,
social skills and motor development in pre-school children and will be used to
ensure that all children are full participants in learning through play.

The
Imagination Playground Play System will be housed at the Technology Learning
Center (TLC) at the Southern Miss Long Beach campus. Materials will be used in
play groups and parent and teacher training sessions held at TLC. The equipment
will also be used at the Early Connections Learning Center, a Pre-K program
operated jointly by The University of Southern Mississippi Institute for
Disability Studies and the Lamar County School System.

Unstructured,
child-directed play has been proven to help kids develop physically, socially
and cognitively, yet today's kids have less time and fewer opportunities to
play than any previous generation. Imagination Playground in a Cart™ is a
breakthrough playspace concept designed by architect David Rockwell to
encourage child-directed, unstructured free play. With reconfigurable loose
parts, Imagination Playground in a Cart™ allows children to constantly change
their environment and design their own course of play. Giant foam blocks, mats,
wagons, fabric and crates overflow with creative potential for children to
play, dream, build and explore endless possibilities.

Through Let's
Play grants and projects in 2011, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and KaBOOM! built or
improved 528 playgrounds, benefitting an estimated 1.3 million children during
the lifetime of the playgrounds. People are encouraged to visit Let's Play at www.LetsPlay.com to join the conversation
and learn how to apply for the various available grants to make their
communities more active and playful.

A grand
opening will be held at the Technology Learning Center on the USM Gulf Coast
Campus in Longbeach on Friday July 11th from 3:30 until
5:30. Children with and without special needs ages three to five
years and their parents or teachers are invited to attend and engage in the
Blastoff for Summer imagination play session. Contact Dr. Alicia Westbrook at
601-266-6425 to RSVP if you plan to bring five or more children.

About
The Institute for Disability Studies
The Institute is one of 68 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities (UCEDD) across the United States and its territories funded by the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental
Disabilities. The mission of the Institute is to positively affect the lives of
Mississippi citizens with developmental and other disabilities and their
families across the life span and to work toward increasing their independence,
productivity and participation in their communities. Inclusive early
intervention services are a priority of the Institute. Children with and
without disabilities are provided developmentally appropriate play-based learning
activities through play groups and Pre-K classrooms. Training and technical
assistance for inclusive child care is provided state-wide.

About
Dr Pepper Snapple GroupDr
Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) is a leading producer of flavored beverages in
North America and the Caribbean. Our success is fueled by more than 50 brands
that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor. We have 6 of the top 10
non-cola soft drinks, and 11 of our 14 leading brands are No. 1 in their flavor
categories. In addition to our flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands, our
portfolio includes 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Clamato, Crush, Hawaiian Punch,
Peñafiel, Mott's, Mr & Mrs T mixers, Rose's, Schweppes, Squirt and Sunkist
Soda. To learn more about our iconic brands and Plano, Texas-based company,
please visit DrPepperSnapple.com. For our latest news and updates, follow us at
Facebook.com/DrPepperSnapple or Twitter.com/DrPepperSnapple.

About Let's PlayLet's Play is a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group
(NYSE: DPS) to get kids and families active nationwide. The first Let's Play
initiative is a $15 million, three-year commitment to KaBOOM!, the national
non-profit that's saving play. Together, through Let's Play, DPS and KaBOOM!
will build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an
estimated five million children across North America. For more information,
visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay

About
KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to saving play. Children today
spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is
having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall
well-being. To fight this play deficit, social entrepreneur Darell Hammond
founded non-profit KaBOOM! in 1996 in Washington, D.C. with a vision of
creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in
America. Since then, KaBOOM! has mapped over 89,000 places to play, built more
than 2,000 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in
hundreds of cities across the country. KaBOOM! also provides communities with
online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on both a local
and national level. Hammond chronicles the founding of the organization and the
importance of the cause of play in his TheNew York Times
Best Seller KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a
Movement to Save Play. The book details how businesses and communities can
work together to save play for children across the country. All author proceeds
support KaBOOM!. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in
Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

About
The University of Southern Mississippi
Founded in 1910, The University of Southern Mississippi is a comprehensive
doctoral and research-driven university with a proud history and an eye on the
future. As one of only 34 institutions in the nation accredited in art, dance,
music and theatre, we are a haven for creativity and artistic expression. A
dual-campus university, Southern Miss serves students on campuses in
Hattiesburg and Long Beach, in addition to five teaching and research sites in
Mississippi. We are among U.S.
News & World Report's most popular universities and recognized
by The Princeton Review
for our commitment to sustainability. Our Center for Undergraduate Research
affords our students meaningful research opportunities, and as a proven leader
in innovation, we conduct transformative research that translates into
real-world solutions. In the classroom or lab, on the playing field, or in the
performance hall, we strive to have a positive impact not only on our students,
but also the world around us. Further information is found at www.usm.edu.

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